The cultural riches of Paris can conjure up all sorts of dilemmas. Where to begin? The Louvre or the Musee d’Orsay? The Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe?

Yet when Jay Electronica visited the City of Light earlier this month, he pulled out his smartphone and got straight to the point.

‘Dear Paris, who has trees?’ tweeted the self-proclaimed rap poet. Swiftly deleted, the message was nevertheless seen by his 116,500 fans, so one can only assume the mission was accomplished.‘Trees’, for those not au fait with U.S. street slang, is code for marijuana.

Odd couple: Kate Rothschild and Jay Electronica

And Jay Electronica, for those less than familiar with much-hyped but rarely heard hip-hop artists, is the grand amour of Kate Rothschild, the beautiful heiress of the famous banking family, whose father left £18 million to his wife and daughters.

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It was their relationship that led to the collapse of her marriage to Ben Goldsmith. The break-up of scions of two of the wealthiest families in Britain was played out in spectacularly public fashion on Twitter.

Now, with the dust settled and the decree nisi granted, rumours are gathering pace in the salons of London society that Kate is preparing for another wedding.

But how suitable for a Rothschild heiress is 36-year-old Electronica, who grew up in one of the most notorious crime-ridden ghettoes of New Orleans? If alarm bells are set ringing by his penchant for ‘trees’, investigation only serves to heighten those concerns.

In this country, he is establishing himself as high society’s rapper of choice.

Ended in tears: Ben Goldsmith and Kate divorced in April after ten years of marriage

Only last month, he was sipping champagne at a barn dance on a Guinness family estate in Wiltshire, rubbing shoulders (in his Nike jumper and T-shirt) with the likes of Eliza Cummings, the model girlfriend of financier Nat Rothschild, and dozens more aristocratic socialites.

To his new Barbour-clad crew, Jay - real name Timothy Elpadaro Thedford - is the definition of cool: one of the most elusive and mysterious men in hip-hop has pitched his tent in their midst.

The fact that such a prominent figure as Kate Rothschild patently adores him, and hangs on his every word, simply serves to reinforce that impression.

The view across the pond, however, is one of wry amusement at the sheer brass neck of the man. Among those who have heard of him, that is.

For while the Rothschild connection has afforded him a certain profile in this country, in truth he remains all but anonymous in his homeland.

Self-proclaimed musical genius: Electronica has signed to the record label owned by Jay-Z but is yet to release an album

Indeed, despite signing in a blaze of publicity for the Roc Nation label owned by Jay-Z - the biggest rap star in America - nearly three years ago, he is yet to release an album.

Martin Spasov, the New York-based music industry commentator, describes him as ‘at the very least, a self-promotion genius’.

‘When was the last time a rapper became so popular based on so little? I’m willing to bet Jay Electronica was never going to release an album in the first place, even without the interference of Ms Rothschild.’

Other critics put it even more bluntly, suggesting that Mr Electronica is content to stay in London because there he faces fewer questions about his status as a credible artist.

It’s true that Jay is not your average champagne-glugging, bling-wearing rap star. His work so far consists of cerebral ramblings on the meaning of life.

But in music circles, the man once hailed by the hip-hop cognoscenti as the Next Big Thing has rather fallen from favour.

The long-awaited record has signally failed to materialise, despite an announcement more than 12 months ago that it was ready for release.

His only artistic outings have come as a cameo act on other performers’ records and guest slots at festivals, all set up through the munificence of his wealthy mentor and benefactor, Jay-Z. And yet he has continued to live in luxurious circumstances, shuttling between spacious apartments in Belgravia and Kensington while he squires multi-millionaire Kate.

There is concern about the relationship among her friends, who were deeply shocked by the implosion of her nine-year marriage last year.

Ben, son of the late billionaire Sir James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel, and brother of MP Zac and journalist Jemima Khan, married Kate, daughter of the late Amschel Rothschild and Anita Patience Guinness, in 2003.

Last May, however, the dream turned sour when Ben allegedly found illicit text messages on his wife’s phone, revealing she was having an affair with Jay.

A furious row ensued, during which Ben is alleged to have slapped Kate and kicked a toy at her. He accepted a police caution, which was followed by an unseemly row on Twitter.

Kate announced to the world that Jay, whose career she manages, ‘saved my life in many ways and I am eternally grateful to him’. Jay moved from his Belgravia home to an apartment in Kensington, so he could be even closer to Kate.

Friends, however, remain concerned about her, describing her as a ‘sucker for romance’ and still bearing the scars - and emotional fragility - prompted by her father’s suicide in 1996, when she was 14.

Her relationship with Jay has not been plain sailing. Last year, the couple were understood to have argued over his closeness to the supermodel du jour Cara Delevingne.

Not all plain sailing: Kate and Jay are said to have argued over his closeness to model Cara Delevingne

His artistic temperament, meanwhile, has led to prolonged absences, which has put a strain on Kate, whose priority remains looking after her three young children.

It was in this context that she posted a mysterious tweet - ‘Deep down he’s shallow’ - which was interpreted by many (Ben included) as a swipe at her former husband.

Others believe it was a poke at the never knowingly humble attitude of her American lover, amid growing concern that this is a one-sided relationship.

Up until recently, Jay could point to the formalities of Kate’s divorce as a reason for reticence. No longer.

Last month the divorce was granted, with the papers stating ‘she has admitted committing adultery’ and that Ben found it ‘intolerable’ to live with her.

While Jay Electronica was not named in the court documents, he and Kate have openly admitted their relationship. Just at the point where they can move things on to a more public footing, however, the rapper finds himself called back to the U.S. After years of indulgence by his record company pay- masters, the pressure is on to produce some tangible results.

Meanwhile, Kate and Ben have built bridges since filing for divorce. Indeed, she still lives in her former husband’s multi-million-pound house in Kensington with their children.

But while Kate was spending Christmas with them at the Goldsmith family home in Somerset, Jay was on the other side of the Atlantic blowing a gasket.

In a rant on Twitter, which he admitted was fuelled by Jack Daniels (and ‘trees’), he attacked a host of his rap rivals before going quiet and later deleting the messages.

However, the day will come when record boss Jay-Z calls in his debt and Electronica has to face the music.

‘No matter what he’s saying to Kate, he belongs to Jay-Z,’ was the blunt assessment of a record company source this week. ‘There’s a contract. There’s a debt. Everything else is secondary.’

All of which sounds like a worry for the besotted Kate. But if there were any doubt about her long-term intentions, she gave a clue in a posting on Twitter.

Referring to the animated blockbuster Up, about a husband’s devotion to his wife, she said: ‘If I ever get married again, I vow to make sure it lasts till the end of my days ... like in Up.’

The question fascinating many in society is whether, if she were to wed again, would it be to an American rapper - and if so, how long it would last?